Broh Tea Hunting
by ana181
Summary: Good news, General Iroh II is staying in Republic City! He needs to find a house, but more importantly, a tea shop. With Bolin's help, the two go tea hunting, and a few Broh feelings start to form.


"Pabu!" shouted Bolin, running into the locker room. "Are you ready to party it up? Finally, I have a day off. Mako has been working us to the bone. You'd think he'd lay off since we have an entire year until the Fire Ferrets compete again. He wants to win the pro bending tournament. Don't get me wrong, I want to win as much as the next guy, but it's a tad bit early, wouldn't you say?" Bolin stopped mid sentence as he realized it wasn't just Pabu he was ranting too. His eye had caught on a figure sitting in the corner playing with a ball of fire.

"Afternoon, Bolin," greeted General Iroh.

"Hi," squeaked Bolin, a blush rising to his face. He quickly started to button the pants he had been taking off.

"Don't get all dressed up for me. Sorry, this is probably a bad time, isn't it?" Iroh asked, backing out of the room.

"No, stay!" shouted Bolin a little too quickly and loudly. "I mean, its fine, what's on your mind?" Bolin opened his locker and Pabu jumped onto the top. He began to undress behind the cover of the locker door. He tried to ignore Iroh's close presence.

"Well," began Iroh, trying not to let his gaze linger too long on Bolin. He knew if he spent too much time looking at him he'd start to imagine things behind the door. "Bumi and I have been talking and we agree that it would be best if I stayed in Republic City for a while. There might be many copycats rising up, the anti-bending feelings were very intense all over the city. We think it would be best to keep a strong military presence in the city to deter people from rash action."

"That's great! We'd love to have you."

"Glad to hear that I won't be a nuisance."

"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Bolin, hoping he didn't sound like he wanted the conversation to end.

"I've been to Republic City a few times before, but only on military missions. I know the usual places, like the police station and city hall. Other than that, I don't know much about Republic City. I will need a place to live, preferably with a good teashop nearby. I was wondering if you could help me get settled here?" asked Iroh.

"Sure! You picked a great day to ask for help. Today is my day off, so I can devote my entire day to you. If you came any other time, I'd have to say no. I've been busy working out."

"So I've noticed," remarked Iroh, eyeing Bolin's bulging arms. Bolin was too tall to hide himself completely behind the locker door and Iroh had a good view of his bare chest.

"You have?" asked Bolin eagerly, looking over at Iroh. "I mean, who hasn't?" said Bolin, trying to hide his pleasure of having Iroh notice his muscular frame. "The ladies keep stopping me in the streets." Bolin began to flex and Iroh had to avert his eyes.

"I don't doubt that they have," said Iroh, his tone sad.

"Let me shower real quick. It shouldn't take too long."

For the next ten minutes, both men tried to control their thoughts as the shower turned on. It didn't take long before Bolin emerged in a cloud of steam. He was dripping wet, his dark brown hair causing water droplets to drip down his face. He was only wearing a towel and and the water gleamed off his skin.

"Are you going to parade around Republic City half naked?" asked Iroh.

"Only if you want me to." Bolin grinned and began to saunter around the locker room, shaking the water out of his hair.

"Put something on," said Iroh, tossing Bolin a clean shirt. He didn't like the idea of people looking at Bolin.

"Aye, aye General!" said Bolin, putting a hand to his head. Iroh chuckled.

"I'll be outside waiting." Iroh backed out of the room, not wanting to tear his eyes off Bolin until last minute. Pabu followed Iroh, his small feet quickly pattering on the cement floor.

* * *

"So where are we going first?" asked Iroh once Bolin was ready. Pabu sat on Iroh's shoulder.

"Pabu really likes you," remarked Bolin. "It must be a sign."

"A sign of what?" asked Iroh as he scratched Pabu behind the ears.

"I'm not sure yet," said Bolin getting quite.

Iroh elbowed him.

"Where are we going," he asked again, not liking the silence. Bolin's talkative nature was what drew Iroh into him, and his silence made Iroh wonder if something was wrong.

"You said a teashop was number one on your list of things you need, right?" Iroh nodded. He was impressed with how well Bolin listened to him. "Well, how about we go to each teashop in the city, find your favorite, and then look for houses around there."

"Won't that take a long time?"

"We do have all day," reminded Bolin. He secretly wanted to spend as much time with Iroh as he could. There probably was an easier way, but he wasn't going to tell Iroh that.

The first teashop was crowded. Bolin didn't know much about tea, but everyone in town raved about the atmosphere and the modern take on the classic drink. They were directed to a table for two and Iroh gazed critically around the room as they waited for their orders.

"Chairs?" Iroh wrinkled his nose at the ridiculous notion.

"Do they not have chairs in the Fire Nation?" asked Bolin laughing.

"Not in the tea shops. This place is," Iroh paused, searching for the right word.

"Modern?" suggested Bolin.

"Blasphemous."

By then the two had been delivered their tea. Bolin had taken a large sip. Overcome by a fit of laughter, he spit the tea out all over Iroh's face.

"I'm so sorry!" said Bolin, quickly apologizing once he realized he had spit hot tea all over his crush and general of the United Nations. "Here, let me help." Bolin reached over the table with a cloth in his hands. Iroh grabbed his wrist in a vice lock grip, his hands extremely hot, just short of on fire. His eyes were a flame with anger and Bolin cursed his luck. Closing his eyes, he waited for an attack or stream of shouts. Instead, Iroh released his grip, his anger fading as quickly as it rose. Bolin massaged his bruised and burnt wrist.

"I can take care of it myself," said Iroh calmly.

"Y-yes, of course. Sorry," added Bolin.

"It's alright. I guess accidents happen." Iroh was trying his hardest to keep his anger in check. He remembered all the things his grandfather Zuko used to tell him about anger. Iroh had learned from his grandfathers mistakes and tried his best to stay calm during situations he'd rather be angry.

"I really am sorry," repeated Bolin.

"I know."

"So, I'm guessing this blasphemous teashop is a no?" asked Bolin, wanting to get away from the scene as quickly as he could.

"Yes," said Iroh, standing up. He hadn't even touched his tea; he had gotten enough on his face. "Next time, though, how about I just order a drink."

"Yeah, that would be wisest," said Bolin sheepishly.

Twenty teashops in Republic City did not pass Iroh's critical taste buds. He was starting to lose hope that a traditional teashop existed in Republic City, but Bolin was still optimistic.

"There is one more place left. It's a tiny, rustic shop and traditional. Not many people know about it, it's very easy to over look. I only stumbled upon it because it's a few houses down from Mako and my new house. It was late, I was tired from training, and I mistook it for our door."

"What is it called?" asked Iroh, his interest sparked.

"Jasmine Dragon. Odd name, right?"

"What did you say?" asked Iroh, stopping in his tracks.

"Oh, sorry. Do you like the name? It must be some Fire Nation thing then."

"No no, what is it called?"

"Jasmine Dragon."

"Let's go," said Iroh, hurrying up.

"Hey, wait! You don't even know how to get there." Bolin hurried after Iroh.

The teashop was a quaint little building. Traditional paintings hung on the walls and ornate pillows were organized strategically on the floor. A strong smell of jasmine tea wafted through the air.

"This looks promising," said Iroh with a smile on his face.

Bolin was pleased to see a smile on Iroh's face for the first time all day.

"Hello, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon," greeted a young waitress with bright green eyes and light brown hair. "How can I help you?"

"Two cups of jasmine tea," ordered Iroh.

"I would actually like some mint tea," interrupted Bolin.

"We only sell jasmine tea. Sorry for the inconvenient." The waitress smiled at Bolin but he didn't return the smile.

Iroh and Bolin sat down side by side in two cushions. When their tea arrived, Iroh winched as he watched Bolin drink his tea.

"You're doing it wrong."

"How can you drink incorrectly?" asked Bolin.

"Let me show you." Iroh placed his hand over Bolin's and rearranged his grip. Bolin blushed and averted his gaze. He didn't want Iroh to risk seeing his true emotions in his eyes. Once Bolin could drink properly, Iroh sat back in seat. Bolin longed for Iroh's hand on his again.

When the waitress arrived, Iroh was bursting with questions.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Jin Lou. And yours?"

"General Iroh." Jin Lou's face brightened.

"Grandson of Zuko and related to the famous General Iroh?"

"Yes, that would be me."

"It's an honor to meet you. My grandmother, Jin, was good friends with Iroh. She was a frequent visitor at Iroh's teashop in Ba Sing Se. Jin even went on a date with Zuko."

"Did she now?" asked Iroh. "Grandfather never told me that story."

Jin Lou blushed, embarrassed. She wasn't sure if she said too much.

"Why is the Jasmine Dragon run under your family here in Republic City? We all believed it was abandon."

"You never knew? Iroh left the Jasmine Dragon in Jin's care once he got too old to run it. It was too expensive to run in Ba Sing Se, so my grandmother moved it here."

"Well you've done a great job with it. The recipe is the same as it has been for generations."

"Oh thank you," said Jin Lou, blushing with the compliment. A few new costumers arrived and she excused herself.

"Thank you for taking me here, Bolin," said Iroh. "It's nice to find real tea."

"I'm glad I could help."

"I had fun today," said Iroh, taking another sip of his tea. "We should do this again sometime. And hopefully often. It looks like we'll be neighbors."

Bolin's heart soared and he shared a large smile with Iroh.

"To jasmine tea," said Bolin raising his glass. Iroh laughed and did the same.


End file.
